Sydney jewellers nominated for business award
2.0 k views | By Sonia Nair
Victoria Buckley Jewellery, Moi Moi Fine Jewellery and Lane Gems & Jewellery are a few of the jewellers vying to win the ‘Retail Fashion’ category in the 2011 Sydney Business Awards.
Sponsored by the ANZ Bank, the awards is an annual initiative where small businesses are nominated or may nominate themselves in one of the 22 categories. Nominated businesses can then campaign for votes from customers by using a selection of marketing tools.
High-end independent jeweller Victoria Buckley nominated her retail store for the awards this year after a member of the public nominated her store last year. Buckley’s store made it into the final 10 of the ‘Retail Fashion’ category last year and she hopes to repeat the success of her debut nomination.
“Being in the competition for the second time, I’m realising it really is more about being in the running than necessarily winning. It helps to reassess your priorities and goals,” Buckley said.
Buckley believes her store stands out because of her personal relationships with each client, her diverse jewellery collections, and her store displays and layout.
“We utilise artist-made sculptures such as dolls to enliven the displays and the stories behind the collections. They definitely bring static displays to life,” she said.
Moi Moi Fine Jewellery eye-catching store backdrop
“We make our own signage with hand-drawn illustrations of birds and little creatures. We also have picture window displays that customers explore as they walk through the store,” Buckley added.
Moi Moi Fine Jewellery bagged the title of best ‘Retail Fashion’ store in 2008 and co-director Lauren Chang Sommer said it was an honour to be nominated by the public again.
“It really is just a bonus as we are always striving to be best in our field in terms of innovation, quality, service and value,” Chang Sommer said.
Chang Sommer said Moi Moi is unusual in that it specialises in moissanite and lab-created gem-set jewellery set against an eye-catching store backdrop.
“Our unique offering makes us stand out from other jewellers and fashion retail stores. Our store display has been designed to reflect our jewellery, which is modern and aimed at women. This is why we have chosen a fuchsia pink against striking black and white,” Chang Sommer said.
39-year-old jewellery showroom and workshop Lane Gems & Jewellery was nominated for the award by its banker. Co-owner Christopher Lane said the company’s longstanding history and established relationships have propelled many of its customers to vote for it.
A pink and yellow diamond necklet, the newest release from Lane Gems and Jewellery
“I think our customers voted for us because we have a surprisingly large and diverse second generation clientele who are very loyal because we provide very high-quality custom-made merchandise at very reasonable and competitive prices in a family-oriented, friendly, no pressure environment,” Lane said.
Voting closes on July 22. The top eight finalists in each category will be announced on July 26, when these finalists will receive a Finalist Questionnaire and be visited by a mystery shopper.
A panel of judges will deliberate over the completed questionnaires and mystery shopping reports. Winners in each category will be announced at the awards dinner on September 13.
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Posted July 12, 2011